Rugby Viadana

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Rugby Viadana
Rugby viadana badge.png
Union Federazione Italiana Rugby
Founded 1970
Location Viadana, Italy
Ground(s) Stadio Luigi Zaffanella
Capacity 5,000
Chairman Unknown
Coach(es) Jim Love
Captain(s) Quintin Geldenhuys
League(s) Super 10
1st kit
2nd kit
Official website
www.rugbyviadana.it

Rugby Viadana is an Italian rugby union club currently competing in Super 10. They are based in Viadana (province Mantua, region Lombardy). The club was established in 1970, and has since won the Italian championship in 2002, and the Coppa Italia three times. They also compete in European rugby competitions and were runners-up in the European Shield in 2004. Viadana plays in yellow and black.

Contents

[edit] History

They were founded in 1970 as a rugby sector in the Vitellianense Cebogas Multisports Club by some ex-Rugby Parma players. They started in the lowest possible league, Serie D.

In 1980-1981 Viadana won Serie B but after three years the team were relegated back to Serie C. But they bounced back the following year and won promotion back to Serie B. 1986-1987 they won promotion to Serie A2 and finished sixth in their first year. However they were relegated back the following year and didn't return for three years.

They finally won promotion to Serie A in 1998-1999. In their first season Viadana won the Italian Cup and made it to the semi-final of the play-offs. In 2000-2001 they finished third in the league but again lost in the semi-final play-offs to Benetton Treviso.

In 2002 the Italian championship was reformed with the birth of Super 10. During this season Viadana finished first and beat favourites Benetton Treviso in the play-offs to win the title for the first time. They were the first team from outside a provincial capital to do so. They won the Italian Cup a second time in 2003.

In 2004 they became the first (and so far only) Italian team to have made the final of a European competition when they lost the European Shield final 19-25 to Montpellier. In 2007 they defeated Cammi Calvisano to win their third Coppa Italia. In 2008, despite their relatively experienced team, Viadana were beaten in the semi-finals by Benetton Treviso and subsequently lost out on a lucrative Heineken Cup place. Jim Love continues to act as coach and has re-signed for the 2008/09 season.

[edit] Current squad

Nat. Position Player
Italy HK Antonio Denti
Italy HK Luigi Ferraro
Italy HK Roberto Santamaria
Argentina PR Miguel Alonso
Italy PR Mattia Cagna
Italy PR Eduardo Carugi
Argentina PR Ignazio Elosu
Argentina PR Julio Cesar Garcia
Italy PR Luigi Milani
Italy PR Luca Redolfini
Italy PR Plinio Sciamanna
Italy LK Carlo Del Fava
Italy LK Joshua Furno
Italy LK Quintin Geldenhuys (c)
New Zealand LK Sean Hohneck
Wales LK Gavin Quinnell
Italy FL Aldo Birchall
Italy FL Emiliano Caffini
Italy FL Aaron Persico
Italy FL Josh Sole
Nat. Position Player
Italy N8 Andrea Benatti
Italy N8 Jaco Erasmus
Italy SH Andrea Brancoli
Italy SH Pablo Canavosio
Italy SH Micky Wilson
Tonga FH Pierre Hola
Australia FH Lloyd Johansson
England CE Sam Cox
New Zealand CE Matthew Harvey
Italy CE Samuele Pace
Italy CE Matteo Pratichetti
Italy WG Simone Masala
Italy WG Kaine Robertson
Italy WG Michele Sepe
New Zealand FB Craig Clare
Scotland FB Garry Law
Italy FB Nicola Sintich

[edit] Notable players

[edit] Honours

  • Division 2:
    • Promoted: 1998-99
  • Division 3:
    • Promoted: 1986-87, 1992-93
  • Division 4:
    • Promoted: 1980-81, 1984-85
  • Division 5:
    • Promoted: 1971-72

[edit] Statistics

[edit] European Challenge Cup

Season Played Won Drawn Lost For Against
2000-01 4 0 0 4 78 147
2001-02 6 2 0 4 120 210
(Shield) 2003-04 7 5 0 2 250 166
2003-04 2 1 0 1 41 61
2004-05 4 3 0 1 184 50
2005-06 6 0 0 6 81 244
2006-07 6 2 0 4 114 145
2008-09 6 3 0 3 120 126

[edit] Heineken Cup

Season Played Won Drawn Lost For Against
2002-03 6 0 0 6 128 348
2007-08 6 0 0 6 106 208

[edit] See also

[edit] External links